A former National Security Agency employee in Maryland tells 11 News that he was punished for criticizing the agency's practices. His admission comes as a task force offers recommendations for changes to the NSA after the leak of critical information by Edward Snowden. Kai Reed reports.

HAS NOW BEEN ACCOUNTED FOR. INVESTIGATORS ARE TRYING TO DETERMINE WHAT CAUSED THE COLLAPSE. A TASK FORCE HAS GIVEN SPECIFIC RECOGNITION FOR CHANGES WITHIN THE NSA. THE 46 RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDE AN END TO THE COLLECTION OF TELEPHONE RECORDS. TONIGHT, WE SPOKE TO AN EMPLOYEE IN MARYLAND WHO SAID HE WAS PUNISHED FOR CRITICIZING THE AGENCY'S PRACTICES. MOST POLLS SHOW THAT AMERICANS ARE DIVIDED ON WHETHER THEY THINK NSA SURVEILLANCE WAS NECESSARY AND WHETHER EDWARD SNOWDEN IS A TRAITOR OR A PATRIOT. IT TOOK A LOT OF BRAVERY, COURAGE, PERSONAL COURAGE AND PERSONAL DEDICATION TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION FOR A MAN TO STEP FORWARD AND REVEAL WHAT HE HAS REVEALED. AFTER WORKING FOR THE NSA FOR MORE THAN THREE DECADES, HE AND HIS FORMER NSA COLLEAGUES FILED A FORMAL COMPLAINT IN 2002, ALLEGING THAT THE AGENCY WAS OVERSTEPPING ITS BOUNDARIES IN WHAT HE DESCRIBES AS THE ILLEGAL GATHERING OF PEOPLE'S DATA. ALL OF OUR HOMES WERE RAIDED BY ABOUT A DOZEN AGENTS OF THE FBI. IT IS FRIGHTENING, DISCONCERTING THAT THERE WAS PUNISHMENT. IT WAS PAYBACK AND IT WAS A PUNCH IN THE FACE. IT WAS ALSO A MESSAGE SENT TO ALL THE NSA EMPLOYEES THAT WORK IN THIS AREA, AND THERE ARE MANY , DON'T YOU EVER TATTLE ON THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. HE ARGUES THAT THERE NOT ONLY NEEDS TO BE A CHANGE IN HOW THE AGENCY COLLECTS DATA, BUT PROTECTION FOR PEOPLE WITHIN THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY. IT IS IMPORTANT TO SELECT THAT WHICH YOU ARE GOING TO FOCUS ON. IT SHOULD BE INFORMATION THAT HAS THE HIGHEST PROBABILITY OF CATCHING A BAD GUY. PROBABLE CAUSE BASIS. THROUGH THE LEGAL SYSTEM, THE WAY IT SHOULD BE DONE. AS FOR SNOWDEN, HE BELIEVES THAT HE DESERVES AMNESTY AND HE CALLS THE NSA REVIEW PANEL'S RECENT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OPERATIONAL CHANGES ENCOURAGING.